Best Place to Drop $6 on Ice Cream

Pitango Gelato

1451 P St. NW; (202) 332-8877

Pitango, you had me at “another free sample?” Any place—and it seems every place—can proclaim that its house-made gelato is worthy of a week’s collected Metro fares. But few will allow you to luxuriate in the experience of selecting your flavors. If experience dictates, any Pitango customer can walk in and expect at least three samples, hassle and cost-free. Perhaps you might be intrigued by the stracciatella (vanilla chocolate chip) or the server’s proclaimed favorite, the Sicilian almond. But what if you want something a little more tropical like, say, the banana? Don’t hesitate. In fact, here’s a wager: You could probably inch up to five, maybe six, samples before receiving a furrowed brow from the guy behind the counter. Who knows? Maybe this is part of Pitango’s sales strategy: They know you’ll come back again if you’ve sampled more flavors than you can jam into one cup.